


Flinching

by MaddieandChimney



Series: Triggers [4]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24739246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: It's instinct. The way she flinches away the moment he goes to rest a hand on her cheek partway through an argument. She doesn't mean to.
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Triggers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765093
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19
Collections: Madney One-Shots





	Flinching

It’s instinct.

She doesn’t mean to but it still remains in the back of her mind. The way one minute, he would be screaming at her, and the next, his hand would be softly placed on her cheek before…

She doesn’t mean to flinch away from her boyfriend, but she does.

“Are you afraid of me too?” His voice is small, terrified as his hand drops in mid-air. The argument had been stupid, she can barely remember how it started but he had reached out to wipe a tear that had escaped and she had moved back with such velocity, she had smacked her back on the dining table behind her. 

“No-no, of course not. I’m not—I know you wouldn’t. I just—forgot it was you for a second.” She doesn’t know how else to explain it, but for just a second, only when his hand was on her cheek, she had seen Doug in front of her, not Chimney. Not her perfect, kind, sweet and gentle boyfriend who has never raised a hand to her.

“Are you okay? You-you hit—” He looks devastated, and she hates herself for doing that to him, stepping forward, she kisses his cheek, the salty taste of his tears lingering on her lips as she sniffs. “Let me look at your back, you hit it pretty hard and—”

“It won’t have started to bruise yet if it even does… I-I know you would never hurt me. I just, I got lost for a second—he would, lull me into a false sense of security for just a second. Affectionately push my hair from my face, or… I-I don’t know, and then I’d be on the floor and I just forgot where I was for just a second. I’m not scared of you, please don’t—please stop looking at me like that. Baby, I’m sorry—”

“Stop trying to placate me! Stop-stop doing that. You don’t need to do that.” There’s still tears falling down his face and she knows he’s not angry, he’s just incredibly sad and it’s all her fault. “Just—fuck, Maddie. You… you looked terrified. It was only for a second but you—you looked so completely terrified of me. You’ve never looked at me like that before.”

There’s a horrifying sadness in his eyes and she wants to hold him but she also doesn’t want his rejection, not when he’s looking at her like she’s about to break at any given second. “I know, I’m sorry—can you, can you please…” She grabs his hand and places it back on the cheek he had been trying to place it on before she caused the undeniable tension between them.

“I’m not scared of you, I trust you, okay?”


End file.
